1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cutter for cutting food materials such as potato and the like into a particular configuration which is suitable for frying and roasting.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
There are known fried or roasted potato foods of various configurations such as flat slice potato chip shape, crinkle cut shape, V-cut shape, julienne cut shape and stick or shoestring shape, the last shape being obtained by cutting a potato of the flat slice potato chip shape with an appropriate width.
In most cases, food materials have been cut by the use of a cutting apparatus having a cylindrical housing formed with a plurality of slots extending parallel to the axis of the cylindrical housing, and a cutting element mounted in each of the slots and protruding slightly inwardly from the inner wall of the housing. When the housing is rotated while pressing a food material against the inner wall of the housing, the food material is cut into a given configuration with the cut material sections being discharged outside of the cylindrical housing through the slots formed therein.
Flat plate-shaped cutting elements are used to obtain flat slice potato chips. To cut the potato into the crinkle or V-shape, a cutter is used having cutting elements held respectively by holders and cramps, each of the cutting elements having a cutting edge of rounded or sharpened wave configuration. The distal ends of the holders and cramps adjacent to the cutting edges of the cutting elements are similarly shaped into a rounded or sharpened wave configuration. Each of the holders includes a stepped portion formed thereon intermediate between the opposite ends thereof and which is adapted to abut the proximal end of each cutting element. The intermediate section of the cutting element is held between the distal ends of the holder and cramp.
The known cutter for cutting food materials into the julienne or stick shape comprises flat plate-shaped cutting elements, a vertical cutting element placed on each of the flat plate-shaped cutting elements behind the cutting edge or the latter, the vertical cutting element having a plurality of vertically extending cutting edges, a lower holder having its distal end located between the cutting edges of the co-operating cutting elements, and an upper cramp having its distal end located substantially at the same position as the vertical cutting edges of the vertical cutting element and including longitudinally extending slots into each of which one of the vertically extending cutting edges is fitted, the flat plate-shaped and vertical cutting elements being held by co-operation of the holder with the cramp.